Boys track and field: Stillwater repeats as section champs

OAK PARK HEIGHTS – Defending its state championship has become more difficult, but the Stillwater boys’ track and field team was able to savor another Section 4AA championship on Thursday at Pony Stadium.

The Ponies racked up 137 points to hold off second-place North St. Paul (119.5) and third-place White Bear Lake (114.5) and provide the 22nd section championship in 31 seasons for Stillwater head coach Scott Christensen, who was named Section 4AA Coach of the Year. It also marked the 42nd section title overall – including True Team – for the coach when combined with his 20 section crowns in cross country.

"We’re happy we won the meet, it’s something we shoot for," Christensen said. "It’s probably the third most important meet on our schedule between True Team state and True Team section."

Stillwater also qualified eight athletes for a total of seven entries in the Class AA state meet on June 8-9 at Hamline University. An injury to junior Nate Ricci, who was a key contributor for last year’s state championship team, provided an unexpected blow to the team’s hopes next week.

Ricci tweaked a leg injury in the 4×200 relay and failed to earn a repeat trip to state in the long jump and was unavailable for the 4×400 relay as well – events the Ponies were hoping to gather points in at state.

"I didn’t expect Nate Ricci to get hurt," Christensen said. "That could have killed us (as far as the section) and it is for state."

The Ponies qualified two runners each in the longest distance races, with Eric Colvin providing the lone section title with a win in the 3,200 meters with a time of 9:23.49. Wayde Hall finished second in the event (9:23.87) to join him at state.

Hall (4:16.92) was also Stillwater’s top finisher in an exciting 1,600-meter race that produced four state qualifiers after Stillwater’s Tom Linner (4:17.86) and Cretin-Derham Hall’s Kevin Docherty (4:17.95) qualified on standard. White Bear Lake’s Joel Reichow held off Hall at the tape with a winning time of 4:16.47. Sean Bjork narrowly missed out on a state entry while placing fifth in a time of 4:21.91.

"(Hall and Linner) improved their personal bests at Stillwater and moved further up the food chain with the good milers we’ve had here," Christensen said. "It’s just a case of Joel Reichow found the sweet spot where he could control the tempo and hold them off. It doesn’t matter if you’re a horse, a car or a person, he slipped right into that sweet spot and was in perfect position."

Linner had a busy night for the Ponies as he also placed second in the 800 meters – and event he placed fourth in at state a year ago – with a time of 1:58.02 and also ran on Stillwater’s 4×400 relay team.

"I told his mom to let him sleep in (Friday)," Christensen said. "He’s a tough nut. He doesn’t look like a tough kid when you talk to him or spend time with him, but when you get him on the track he is tough."

Stillwater qualified for state in the 4×800 relay with Josh Choe, Evan Johnson, Eric Corcoran and Eric Colvin placing second in a time of 8:10.64.

Connor O’Neill won the pole vault on Tuesday with a height of 13-5 and Nate Bird qualified for state in the discus with a second-place effort of 149-9.

The Ponies nearly had a surprise entry in the 300 hurdles after Kevin Meads improved several spots from prelims to place third with a time of 40.08 – just .12 seconds out of second place.

"I’ve said in the past it’s pretty hard to surprise me and pretty hard for me to say wow, but the closest to that I think came from Kevin Meads," Christensen said. "Kevin ran great and was a great surprise. He far exceeded my expectations."

Makao Day also finished third in the 400 meters with a time of 50.49 to narrowly earn a state bid in that event.